The Great Pumpkin Goes to School

Today was the big day at school, the Great Pumpkin Presentation. For a second last night I felt I was preparing for presentations I did in the past - for adults - reviewing my notes, planning the time frame, making sure I had packed everything.

The day to carry a large pumpkin should not be when it is pouring out (I taught the word "teeming" to the housekeeper). Clementina was well-wrapped in plastic bags. I arrived at the school and realized I was completely prepared for what I would say and do, but not prepared for anything more practical. For example, the school was locked. And there was no buzzer. When some nice man let me in (bad, bad, letting in a stranger), I realized I did not know the number of the classroom. Or the word for classroom. Or which grade E was in. I thought it was fourth, but it might be third.

I wandered around saying the teacher's name with a question mark, and ended up at the lunchroom. I was asked if I wanted to eat something and I said no, just some water. I was asked a second time by someone else, and again said no, thank you, just some water. Then a man came over - he looked like the superintendent, although he might have had a different role as he was wearing a track suit. He put a plate of food in front of me. Shredded carrots with some unidentifiable other vegetable in it, and some croquettes - I think. I really couldn't tell whether they had chicken in them, just grains, or the "other white meat." I have learned in this country you need to eat what is in front of you. He came back with a paper towel as a placemat. Random children walked by and said, "Ciao" to me as they passed.

I set up in the art room, making samples of everything they would make. Wow, schools everywhere are hurting. Magic markers that are dried out, missing colors of paper, limited supplies. I will definitely donate my teaching materials to the school if the family does not want them.

The kids were great. I kept thinking of American classrooms with children bouncing off the walls and classroom control a key skill. Children here were really compliant. Not reserved though - but respectful. They listened intently to my stories about Halloween in the States, and were excited to hear my niece had dressed one year as a red M&M and my nephew as Harry Potter. They thought you had to dress as something scary. They "oohed" loudly when I mentioned we grew up in a building that had 17 stories and two sides, and it would take us the whole night to go from door to door. They called my building a skyscraper.

I taught them three different Halloween crafts: a pumpkin, a spider, and a ghost. By far, the ghost-making was the most popular. And most of the children wanted to go beyond the eyes and mouth (think 'The Scream') and dress their ghosts up. This is Italy after all, the fashion capital of the world. "Can I put a tie on him?", many of the boys asked, and one of the girls used gold lame instead of the white felt. Another asked if she could put make-up on her ghost, and added red cheeks and eyelashes.

I took pictures of every child with their finished product, and they were so natural in front of the camera. Little models, all of them.

Afterward, we drew the shades and turned out the lights and had them close their eyes. We put the tea light in Clementina and the children loved it. They repeated "Jack-o-lantern" with me and the teacher. Then they each got two Lindt chocolates, a pumpkin and a ghost, courtesy of C. The teacher said, "I don't know how to thank you" and kissed me. She was lovely.

I stayed after cleaning up, and children from other classes would walk by, see the pumpkin, and run and get their friends to show them. Now E wants a second pumpkin, since Clementina was donated to the classroom. I'll see if I can find one.